The Expedition to Najd (1836) was a military operation organised by
Ottoman military commander
Muhammad Ali Pasha
Muhammad Ali Pasha al-Mas'ud ibn Agha, also known as Muhammad Ali of Egypt and the Sudan ( sq, Mehmet Ali Pasha, ar, محمد علي باشا, ; ota, محمد علی پاشا المسعود بن آغا; ; 4 March 1769 – 2 August 1849), was ...
that invaded the
Second Saudi State
The Emirate of Nejd or Imamate of Nejd was the Second Saudi State, existing between 1824 and 1891 in Nejd, the regions of Riyadh and Ha'il of what is now Saudi Arabia. Saudi rule was restored to central and eastern Arabia after the Emirate of D ...
based in
Najd
Najd ( ar, نَجْدٌ, ), or the Nejd, forms the geographic center of Saudi Arabia, accounting for about a third of the country's modern population and, since the Emirate of Diriyah, acting as the base for all unification campaigns by the H ...
after the refusal of tribute payments by its ruler,
Imam Faisal bin Turki al-Saud.
Background
The removal of Ottoman forces from Najd in 1824 marked an opportunity for the Saudi-Wahhabi alliance to reassert its control over the region.
[Dillon, Michael R]
Wahhabism: Is it a Factor in the Spread of Global Terrorism?
NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA. 2009. Turki Ibn Abdullah was able to accomplish this while tacitly acknowledging the suzerainty of Mehmet Ali, he captured Riyadh, Arid, Kharj, Mahmal, Sudayr and Aflaj with forces he was able to gather in the areas surrounding Riyadh.
[Sheikh, N.S. (2002)]
The New Politics of Islam: Pan-Islamic Foreign Policy in a World of States (1st ed.)
Routledge. By 1830 he was able to assert his authority over Hasa but had minimal control over Qasim and Ha’il.
He restricted his campaigns to avoid provoking the Ottoman forces in the Hejaz.
By 1831 his authority was challenged by internal divisions within his own family which resulted in his assassination in 1834 by his cousin Mishari who was then killed by Turki's son Faisal who then assumed the position of Imam.
By 1837 Faisals refusal to pay tribute to the Ottoman forces in the Hejaz provoked them to march against him.
Expedition
Faisal sent his brother to Mecca with presents, submissive words and offers of some camels for transport while he secretly helped his Asiri allies, despite this act, Mehmet Ali organised an expedition against Najd in 1836.
[Mohammad Ameen]
A STUDY OF EGYPTIAN RULE IN EASTERN ARABIA (1814-1841)
lnstitute of Islamic Studies. McGill University. 1981. Mehmet Ali's forces landed at
Yanbu
Yanbu ( ar, ينبع, lit=Spring, translit=Yanbu'), also known simply as Yambu or Yenbo, is a city in the Al Madinah Province of western Saudi Arabia. It is approximately 300 kilometers northwest of Jeddah (at ). The population is 222,360 (2 ...
in 1836 and marched against Najd, they were accompanied by Khalid, a Saudi pretender.
Faisal assembled an army and went out to meet the invaders, however his troops melted away as word spread of the superior enemy forces, the people of
Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the R ...
were also intimidated by the enemy forces and refused to fight.
Faysal was able to slip out with a number of followers and Khalid entered Riyadh in 1837, for a while Mehmet Ali accepted the submission of Faisal and left the two Saudi chiefs ruling over a partitioned Najd, but in 1838 Mehmet Ali's forces commanded by
Hurshid Pasha
Hurshid Ahmed Pasha (sometimes written Khurshid Ahmad Pasha; tr, Hurşid Ahmed Paşa, ; died 30 November 1822) was an Ottoman-Georgian general, and Grand Vizier during the early 19th century.
Early life
He was born in the Caucasus and was of ...
marched against Faisal and defeated him.
Faisal was then taken captive and imprisoned in Cairo.
Mehmet Ali had occupied Najd, al-Hasa and Qatif, he also secured the submission of Bahrain, Qatar and Trucial Oman and won the cooperation of Kuwait.
Aftermath
European pressure and British diplomacy led to the recall of most of the army from Najd and eastern Arabia in April 1840.
The rule over Najd ended by the close of 1841, however Faisal escaped from Cairo in 1843, he killed
Ibn Thunayan and began his second reign over the Saudi state, this time he recognised the suzerainty of the Ottoman Sultan and paid an annual tribute in exchange for an Ottoman recognition of himself as “ruler of all the Arabs”.
[Safran, Nadav]
Saudi Arabia: The Ceaseless Quest for Security
Cornell University Press. 2018.
References
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Battles involving the Ottoman Empire